Francesco Clemente: Funerary Paintings

The "Funerary Paintings" are a unified series of eleven large-scale paintings, each about six feet high, and ranging between 15 feet and 16 feet long. They were completed by the artist at his New York studio over the past year and a half. The architecture of the second floor at 548 West 22nd Street has been reconfigured to form shallow niches between pilasters in which the paintings are set. The series has no determined beginning or end point, and the space has been designed to encourage a variety of approaches to the paintings.

A book of drawings based on the paintings is available in conjunction with the exhibition. Clemente has been closely involved with the design and production of the book.

This project extends the commitment and program of Dia Art Foundation to support artists in undertaking ambitious projects which would be difficult to realize through other institutions and organizations. The unusually long period of the exhibitions-for an entire season from October 1988 through June 1989--has been planned to allow a large public from the metropolitan New York area, from the United States, and other countries to have the opportunity to view the exhibition over time and through the possibility of repeated visits.

Francesco Clemente
Funerary Paintings